Polk County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Polk County
That's Polk County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 5 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 3.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 11 in. of fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 1 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Polk County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,201 of 2,758
- Georgia rank#50 of 159
- Population44,610
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.7 in.
- FIPS13233
Where Polk County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Polk County sits at #2,201, the top 80% nationally - #50 of 159 within Georgia. 3.6 psf is Georgia's typical county figure - Polk County beats it by 1.4 psf.
Near 33.996°N 85.1883°W, FIPS 13233: Polk County counts 44,610 residents and a 5 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Polk County
Most winters bring Polk County roughly 0.7 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at TAYLORSVILLE, GA US, 13.3 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Polk County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Polk County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.